Interview Report Form

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1 GAA Oral History Project Interview Report Form Name of Interviewer Regina Fitzpatrick Date of Interview 5 th Aug 2011 Location Name of Interviewee (Maiden name / Nickname) Áras Uí Cearbhail, Nowlan Park, Kilkenny. Ned Quinn Biographical Summary of Interviewee Gender Male Born Year Born: 1947 Home County: Kilkenny Education Primary: Presentation Convent, Mooncoin, Co. Kilkenny; De la Salle Primary School, Mooncoin, Co. Kilkenny. Secondary: De la Salle Secondary School, Waterford Family Siblings: 3 sisters & 2 brothers Current Family if Different: Wife, 1 son & 2 daughters Club(s) Occupation Parents Occupation Religion Political Affiliation / Membership Other Club/Society Membership(s) Mooncoin GAA [Kilkenny] Shop owner N/A N/A N/A N/A 1

2 Date of Report 21 st August 2012 Period Covered Counties/Countries Covered Key Themes Covered Interview Summary Kilkenny, Tipperary, Wexford, Galway, Cork Travel, Supporting, Grounds, Facilities, Playing, Training, Managing, Coaching, Refereeing, Officials, Administration, Celebrations, Commiserations, Fundraising, Sponsorship, Material Culture, Education, Religion, Media, Emigration, Role of Clergy, Role of Teachers, Role of Women, Role of the Club in the Community, Volunteers, GAA Abroad, Identity, Rivalries, Irish Language, Culture, All-Ireland, Club History, County History, Irish History, Earliest Memories, Family Involvement, Childhood, Impact on Life, Career, Challenges, Sacrifices, Politics, Ban on Foreign Games and Dances, Relationship with the Association, Professionalism, Retirement, Food and Drink, Socialising, Purchase of Grounds, Relationships, Economy/ Economics With his encyclopaedic knowledge of the GAA Ned offers a detailed and varied account of the history of the Association, from before he was born to He grew up in the area of Mooncoin where the GAA was a way of life. When the time came he played hurling with his club, and later at De La Salle College in Waterford where he was studying. Ned also represented Kilkenny at minor level, and when his playing career ended he made his first steps into administration. Over the years he worked in club, school and county administration, occupying a variety of roles. He also spent some time as a selector. Ned s involvement with the county board led to him becoming secretary and chairman. He remembers Kilkenny hurling being at a low ebb during the late 1990s and working with a new hurling manager, Brian Cody, on a plan to revive it. Kilkenny went on to achieve unprecedented success and he outlines some of the factors that led to this, shedding light on what it was like to work with Brian Cody. He also worked on the upgrading facilities at Nowlan Park and the establishment of a development squads structure within the county. Having been immersed in the GAA his entire life, Ned has the ability to call to mind countless names and to explain how each of them fit into the overall Kilkenny story, a tale of relentless achievement borne of hard work, humility and an undying love for Gaelic games. 00:15 Born in Originally from Mooncoin. Hurling tradition. Game played there since 17th century. Kilmacow and Piltown in the area. Club founded in Richard 2

3 Dunphy, President. Jack Walsh vice-president from Portnascolla, a champion weight-thrower. Pat Fogarty first secretary, James Comerford first treasurer. Contesting first county final in 1887 against Tullaroan. Beating Confederation the following year. Titles won after that. 02:30 Tullaroan and Mooncoin dominant back then. Kilkenny winning their first All-Ireland in Game played in Maurice Davin s field in Carrick-on-Suir. Being chairman of the county board and asking his nephew Pat Nevin to erect a plaque in the field. 03:10 Mooncoin successful up until Neighbour Dick Drug Walsh captaining Kilkenny to All-Ireland titles. Memorabilia he had. Dick Doherty also a neighbour who won All-Ireland medals. Eddie, Dick and Mick Doyle also nearby. Wattie Dunphy of the 1922 All-Ireland winning team there. First Leinster man to win the Railway Cup in His brother Neddy on the 1922 team - his son Joe winning minor All-Irelands with Kilkenny. Other son Dick treasurer of the county board. Other Dunphys on the Mooncoin three-in-a-row team of Their neighbour Neddy Doyle captaining Kilkenny to a league and All-Ireland double in Growing up alongside those people. Father chairman of the club. 05:15 Mooncoin style of hurling. Playing hurling during a successful era for the minor side. Irish rugby player Ned Byrne playing against them against St Canice s. Winning junior and senior titles in 1961 and :40 Kilkenny in a National League final against Tipperary in the 1950s. Excitement. Ireland a different place then in terms of media. Coverage the game got. Trip to the United States on offer for the winners. Drug Walsh telling him stories about disputes between Tullaroan and Mooncoin. Fr Dollard of Mooncoin solving a row. What he did. Cork and Tipperary successful before Kilkenny were. 08:40 Drug Walsh telling him about walking to the railway station in Ballykeoghan in order to play in All-Irelands in Dublin. Returning to Kilkenny and people unaware of match result. 09:10 What Drug Walsh was like. Hitting golf balls in his field. Chest he had with momentos. Dick Doherty s newspaper cuttings. Bringing him the Irish Press every morning. Where Walsh s nickname came from. 10:50 Doyles of Durinan. Denis and John Joe Kinsella nearby. Liam McCarthy of Pilltown a successful hurler. Pat 3

4 Hogan, a relative of the Doyles, winning a junior All-Ireland in What the Doyles did for a living. 12:10 Wattie Dunphy in Lufney. Getting married in Kilmacow. Brothers Richard, William and Neddy hurling. Medals they had between them. Neddy the father of Joe Dunphy. Dick becoming county treasurer and member of Kilkenny County Council. Administrative involvement with Mooncoin. Paddy secretary of Mooncoin before moving to Tramore, Waterford and getting involved with the county board there and in interfirms administration. Joe Murphy in Aginish marrying into the family. Tom Murphy playing against Galway in 1993 All- Ireland final. Joe Murphy captaining Kilkenny to a junior All- Ireland. Fr Joe Dunphy president of St Kieran s College. Neddy Doyle playing for Kilkenny in the 1930s and going to New York to play games. Tommy Carlin playing in 1920s and 1930s. Martin Murphy too. 16:00 Hurling players revered in the area. What they were like. Other pastimes people had. Other sports in the area. Claitheas Dunne a Kilkenny player of the 1960s that lived near him. Billiards popular in Mooncoin. 18:00 Family had businesses when he was growing up. Working in the family business. Howley s the local pub. Hearing stories in the pub. Fishing in the area. What was caught. 20:10 Irish Press journalist Pádraig Puirséal from Mooncoin. 20:35 Castle Hotel on Gardiner s Row in Dublin owned by Donal O Connor from Kerry. His wife, Nora Carroll, sister of Tommy Carroll of Mooncoin. Mooncoin people eating there when they were in Dublin. 21:10 Bob O Keefe from Glen Grant. Moving to Offaly, Training the Laois team of Becoming President of the GAA. Future GAA President Liam O Neill from Laois. 22:00 Under-16 club championship in Kilkenny when he was young. Schools running Under-14 competitions. Schools board formed in Big decision they took. Parish rule created in Benefits of that. Bennettsbridge benefiting from that. Success they enjoyed. Johnny McGovern a famous player with them. 24:10 Very few clubs owning a pitch when he was growing up. Price they paid when they did buy a pitch. Selling that to buy land elsewhere in Developing that land. What was spent. Buying more land to develop a second pitch. Updating 4

5 facilities. Selling Share Crescent land to a developer. Price they got for it. 26:10 Fields people played hurling on before grounds were purchased. Nature of those games. Playing in Smith s bog, Murphy s field in Grange. Cycling to the field as a child. What they used for goals. Games played at the back of Dunphy s house. Playing in Walsh s field in Cloga. 27:30 Mooncoin winning a title in Synott s field Ballymountain. Murphy s field. Brennan s land in Ashgrove, later owned by Noel Doyle s family. Noel Doyle employing many people. What he expected from employees. Son, Eoin Doyle, a horse trainer. HUrling on what later became their official grounds. Playing in Mullinavat, Ballyhale, Knocktopher, Glenmore, Dunamaggan, Freshford and Thomastown. Slianh Rua and Ballyragget developing pitches. Galmoy s pitch. 20:55 Family life growing up. Role of sport. Following cricket on BBC on the radio. Playing cricket. Playing in the CYMS during the winter. Few cars in the area. 32:10 Going to De La Salle school in Waterford. Brother Nicholas organising hurling and football leagues in his class. Number of people in a class in the late 1950s. Where they got jerseys from/ Playing final on Érins Own pitch. 33:40 Success of school team. Paudie Donoghue of Kerry, Tommy Monaghan of Cork, Dan Harmody, Irish rugby player John Moroney, Brendan O Sullivan of Thomastown, Liam Griffin of Wexford playing. Playing on the hurling team. Losing Harty Cup final. Disappointment. 34:45 St Declan s primary school and routine there. Sport at De La Salle College. Athletics ethos. Few people going on to further education. What they did for employment. Getting the Leaving Cert. Brendan O Sullivan hoping to become a teacher. Playing other sports. 37:00 Enjoying sports in De La Salle. Watching them win an All-Ireland final with Brendan O Sullivan in later years. Michael Grace and Danny Purcell on various teams. Information about teams put up on notice board in school. Going to reunions. Getting away with things at school because they played GAA. Sitting with Liam Griffin and Brendan O Sullivan in the science lab. What they talked about. Life-long friendships. 41:30 De La Salle s rivals. Mount Sion a prominent team in Waterford in the past. Frankie Walsh, Martin Morissey, Philly 5

6 Ryan, Séamus Power, Larry Guinan, Dickie Roche playing with them. Overtaking Mount Sion. Derek McGrath reviving De La Salle in later years. 42:00 Positions he played in. Ollie Walsh a hero of his. Getting to know him in later life. His son, Michael, Kilkenny Under-21 manager. Seán Cloughesy another hero of his on the 1957 team. Admiration for Jimmy Doyle of Tipperary. Getting to know Liam Devaney of Tipperary. Pat Stakelum of Tipperary calling into their shop. Getting to know Donie Nealon of Tipperary, later secretary of the Munster Council. 45:20 Talent of Tipperary team of the early 1960s. Mick Roche, John Doyle, Mick Maher Ciarán Carey talented hurlers, Mick Burns, Tony Wall, Theo English, Jimmy Doyle, Donie Nealon, Babs Keating, Mattie McKenna all playing. 46:15 Listening to Micheál Ó Heiher describing games on the radio. Looking up to Ollie Walsh, who drove an ambulance. What he was like. 47:15 Travelling to games around the country. Going to 1961 Munster final between Cork and Tipperary in Limerick. Watching a National League game in Cork and what that was like. Going to play games in a van, and in the boot of a car. Cycling to games. Taking buses and trains to games. Maggie Dunne taking them to Kilkenny. What Nowlan Park was like. Being in awe of Johnny Sutton of Mullinavat. 50:05 GAA heroes as ordinary people. Golden eras in Kilkenny over the decades. Fran Larkin s father winning All- Irelands in the 1930s. Hendersons in Johnstown winning a lot of medals. 52:30 First trip to Croke Park. All-Ireland semi-final between Galway and Kilkenny. Jimmy Langton playing. Winning an All- Ireland in Enjoying watching the final. Losing in Tommy O Connell and Eddie Kerr playing. 53:50 His own playing days. Teacher Seán Maher running the team in Mooncoin. Denis Doherty involved. Johnny Tobin a big influence on him. What they did for floodlights at training. Michael Holden and Jim Comerford also involved in training them. What they did in training. 55:40 Rivalries. Match against Tullaroan abandoned in Reason for that. Other sides keen to beat Mooncoin. Ballyhale Shamrocks rivalry. Knocktopher rivalry. Joe Doherty, Tommy Phelan, Charlie Brennan and Billy Harte playing. 6

7 59:00 Involvement in administration. Johnny Tobin taking him to meetings. Going to conventions in the CYMS in Kilkenny in the 1960s. Nicholas Purcell chairman. What the meetings were like. Jim Carroll of Freshford a character at the meetings. Tom Ryan, Kevin Fennelly at meetings. 01:02:00 Mooncoin proposing abolition of the Ban in Kilkenny. Reason for that. Musician Mick Delahunty suspended for going to dances. Debates on proposed abolition. Strong feelings. Historical context. Why Michael Cusack and Maurice Davin set up the GAA. 01:06:55 Why the GAA endures. Evolution of the Association. Core values. 01:09:30 Spectre of professionalism within the GAA. Volunteers. Pay-for-play. Different requirements in different counties. Professionalism in terms of team preparation. Importance of actually playing games. Danger of widespread amalgamations. 01:15:30 Marvelling at Croke Park and the GAA. Becoming a minor club selector. Later secretary. Wanting to stay involved. 01:17:10 Pride in his Moncoin roots. Wanting to improve things. Respect for more senior administrators. Working on the history of the club with Denis Kinsella. GAA as one big patchwork quilt. Never envisaging that he would become a seasoned administrator. 01:20:25 Ambitions he had for his club when he entered administration. Mooncoin winning a senior county final. Johnny Jones walking back to Mooncoin from Kilkenny. 01:22:40 Eamonn Holden caretaker of the club for many years. Work he does. 01:23:45 Helping out with whatever work needed to be done. Working as Irish officer. Being on the schools board in the 1970s with Paul Kinsella, Brendan O Sullivan, Joe Dunphy, Tom Waldron. Who proposed him for vice-chairman. What it was like working on the schools board. Jim Fennelly, Tom Duggan, Tom Hickey, Nioclás Breathnach on the board in Mick Moran of Tullagher his predecessor. Tommy O Brien involved in the past. John Knox treasurer. Schools board very organised. Working in tandem with Pat Duggan. Everyone doing their bit for Kilkenny, which has 36 parishes. Time on schools board preparing him for later work on county board. Work of Briain Ryan. Getting to know people around the county. 7

8 01:30:30 First involvement with the schools board. Taking over from Billy Phelan. Going to meetings. Making friends. Trying to make things more efficient. Progress they made. Starting the Country Cup. Giving every child the opportunity to play football if they want to. School sides playing intercounty games in football and hurling. Bringing a team to Dublin in 1998 for a competition. How they fared. His son on the team. Nine players selected to play at half-time during a game in Croke Park. 01:34:25 Development squads. Barren period for Kilkenny senior hurlers. Being elected county chairman in Talking to Pat Henderson about improving Kilkenny hurling. Brian Cody becoming Kilkenny manager. First meeting he had with him. How that went. Tweaking the system for bringing through young players. Working with Brendan O Sullivan on development squads. How that system has helped. Giving players a polo shirt to encourage them. Other counties contacting them about development squads. 01:41:35 Being a Mooncoin delegate on county board when Michael O Neill was chairman and Paddy Grace secretary. Influence they had on him. O Neill s attributes and legacy. Chairman automatically a county selector as well. Paddy Grace a character. Elected as secretary in late 1940s. Hearing that he had passed away. O Neill stepping down in 1985 and Tommy Murphy taking over. Former GAA President Paddy Buggy beating Nickey Brennan to the post in Future GAA President Brennan later taking over and initiatives he spearheaded. Becoming south board chairman. John Healy vice-chairman to Brennan before becoming chairman. Brennan starting redevelopment of Nowlan Park. Being elected vice-chairman. Continuing redevelopment work. 01:48:55 Becoming chairman in Changes he made to Nowlan Park pitch, and later the stadium. Expanding facilities. Money they spent. Fundraising through concerts by artists such as Bob Dylan. Money they received from Croke Park. Plans for future development. Investing in St Kieran s College, the school in Castlecomer and the school field in Callan. 01:53:10 Sitting down with Brian Cody in What their aims were. Success they have had since at senior intercounty level. 01:54:15 All-Ireland final day and what he thinks of that. Atmosphere. Feeling proud. Winning and losing. Croke Park dressing-rooms on All-Ireland final day. Singing The Rose of Mooncoin. Anti-climax thereafter. Feelings brought about by 8

9 loss. 01:56:25 Working with Brian Cody and what that was like. His attributes as a player and what he achieved. Knee injury he sustained. Cody s father reviving James Stephens club. What Cody demands of his players. Involvement in Kilkenny schools and club scene. 02:01:30 Media attitude to Kilkenny and how he feels about that. Time when Cork and Tipperary were ahead of them in roll of honours list. Winning minor and Under-21 All-Irelands. Success at all levels in What association with Kilkenny hurlers has done for sponsors Avonmore. Need to make the most of success in order to benefit the county. Relationship with Glanbia. 02:06:00 How his year is organised as county secretary. Conventions. Team holidays. Walsh Cup. Dinner dances. O Byrne Cup. National League. Club season beginning. Fixture booklet. Meetings. Organising things for the Championship. Relationship with O Neills sportswear. All- Ireland tickets. Club finals. Trips to the United States, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, Spain. How they decide on a destination. 02:11:20 Rugby World Cup and Compromise Rules on in Melbourne, Australia in Booking flights to go. Trying to steer Brian Cody away from taking the team there on a holiday. Going to Perth and later Melbourne. Meeting Mooncoin people at an Ireland rugby match. Going to the Melbourne Cup horse racing event at Flemington track with his wife Lucy. Number of people in attendance. 02:14:25 Juggling business, family and GAA demands. Marrying Lucy in Former Kilkenny hurler John Sutton her cousin. Her mother related to Henry Shefflin s mother. First aid assistance she gives to teams. Son Billy working with Glanbia and hurling for Mooncoin, St Kieran s College and Kilkenny. Billy s wife Sinéad originally from Cork. Alice their daughter. Daughter Emer a teacher in Dublin. Her passion for hurling. Daughter Orla a solicitor engaged to a Meath man. Niece Deirdre married to Noel Doherty of Glenmore. 02:19:10 Kilkenny ethos. 02:21:00 His GAA involvement a natural thing. 9

10 Involvement in GAA Supporter Player Manager Coach Steward Chairperson Committee Member Grounds-person Caterer Jersey Washer Referee None Other (please specify): Record as a Player (Titles won; Length of time played) Record as an Administrator (Positions held; how long for) Played hurling and football with Mooncoin at every grade, from childhood until he was 37. Member of De la Salle Waterford s Harty Cup team; Won 2 U16 and 2 Minor Kilkenny hurling championships; won 1 Kilkenny senior football championship. Has held many positions in Mooncoin and Kilkenny GAA including: Mooncoin: Member of committee from 1965; has been secretary twice; chairman. Kilkenny: Chairman of Kilkenny Bord na nóg; Chairman of South Kilkenny Board; Vice Chairmam of Kilkenny County Board; Chairman of Kilkenny County Board, ; Secretary of Kilkenny County Board, ; Chairman of the Kilkenny Hurling Development Committee (3 years). Format Audio Audio-Visual Duration Length of Interview: 02:23:22 Language English 10

11 To be filled in by Interviewer: I hereby assign the copyright of the content of the above to the GAA Oral History Project on the understanding that the content will not be used in a derogatory manner. I understand that I am giving the GAA Oral History Project the right to use and make available to the public the content of this interview. Signed: Regina Fitzpatrick Date: 21 st August